Wall-rack for clothes



I C. W. HAGERMAN. V WALL RAOKTOB CLOTHES.

urucmon men a. 23. ma.

7 mama Feb. 8, 1921.

it UNITED srn'rs enrsNT orrics.

WALL-RACK FOR CLOTHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

Application filed March 23, 1918. Serial No. 224,336.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. HAGER- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Champaign, in the county of Champaign and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wall-Racks for Clothes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to clothes racks, on which may be hung for the purpose of drying and the like various articles of clothing, towels, napkins, etc.

Such devices are commonly. used in the laundry rooms or kitchens of homes and are also adapted to be used in any places where it is desired to hang articles of clothing for the purpose of drying.

The invention is particularly adapted for use with clothes racks of the type to be adapted to be supported on the wall of a building. It is the primary object of the invention to provide certain new and useful improvements in the construction of wall clothes racks by which a plurality of radial clothes bars maybe supported in an extend ed and comparatively rigid relation to their supporting means by which they are secured to the building wall, said means at the same time permitting the radial clothes bars to be radially folded in umbrella style to occupy a relatively small amount of space when said clothes bars are folded and not desired to be used.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved wall clothes rack of simple construction, that is at the same time eflicient, but can be made with small expense. Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description which is directed to the preferred embodiment of the invention reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming also a part of the specification.

In the said drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved wall rack with the radial bars in an extended or operative position ready to receive articles to be hung thereon.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the device of Fig. 1 showing details of construction of the radial bar supporting device and showing also themanner of attaching same to the wall of the room in which it is to be used as a permanent fixture. This view when takenin conjunction with the sectional view shown in Fig. 3 discloses the important feature of the invention by which the clothes bars when in an operative and extended relation are locked against looseness and vibration in their supporting socket, the latter being taken on sectional line 38 ofFig; 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2 showing the radial bars in their folded or inoperable position.

In constructing the rack embodying the features of the invention I preferably employ a cylindrical stick of wood as indicated by the reference character 10, although obviously, other materials may be used. This part 10 should be long enough to furnish separated parts for fastening the clothes rack to the wall or other vertical supporting means in a secure manner at at least two points, as for example the screws 11 and 12, the former passing through a hole near the upper extremity of the member 10, and the latter through a hole near the lower end thereof, both screws being long enough to extend into and secure the device to the adjacent wall as indicated by the reference character 18. In ordinary practice the memher 10 may be given a length anywhere between twelve and sixteen inches, although obviously any desired dimensions may be employed. folding the clothes bars it is desirable that the member lOshall be free between its extremities from the wall to permit the securing means for the inner extremities of the clothes bars to slide freely along the same. To conveniently support the member 10 and aid in spacing it from the wall or other supporting'm'eans as indicated by the reference character 13, Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive, I provide the block 14 which is secured to the slightly reduced lower end of the cylindrical member 10 by any suitable fastening means as indicated by the reference character 15,

In order to allow freedom in which in this case is a metallic pin or nail.

At the upper extremity of the member 10 is located the combined radial bar supporting device and spacing device for the vertical member 10. the same being indicated generally by the reference character 16. This is made preferably of a sheet metal stamping in the general form of a flanged semi-circumferential member or spider having a hub portion or thimble 16 adapted to closely surround the upper end of the cylindrical wood member 10, and being secured thereto by resting flush onthe upper wall screw 11, and having its walls pressed inwardly into the wood of member 10 as indicated at 16* by a suitable tool. The hub portion 16 might gage the wall 18 and space the upper end of the supporting member 10 apart from the wall 13 as in the case of the support 14 for.

the lower extremity thereof. The curved outer periphery of the metallic spider or bracket 16 is provided with a depending flange 16 and the material of the bracket 16 is cut away radially for a short distance in the body of the bracket and in the flange 16 adjacent. the periphery of the bracket to afford a plurality of openings as indicated at 16. The clothes bars which are preferably of wood although not necessarily in order to combine the requisite degree of lightness with strength and designated by the reference character 17 each extending radially through the slotted openings 16 in the spider or bracket 16 and being provided near their inner extremities with suitable perforations through which are passed a flexible metallic binding cord or link as indicated by the reference character 18.

In order to secure the benefits of my invention it is desirable that the ring or binding member 18 upon which each of the clothes bars are journaled shall be flexible and for this purpose I prefer that this member shall be of a good grade of soft steel.

7 Wire united at its extremities by a suitable metallic binder as indicated at 19 with the extremities of the wire 18 passing through the binder 19 and being deflected outwardly as indicated at 18 to insure firm connection.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to unite the ends of radial clothes bars by metallic rings of non-flexible character, but I have discovered that I can use a flexible binding device in connection with my improved foldable radial bars and at the same time secure a degree of firmness in the extended bars not hitherto obtainable; I obtain this result by reason of the fact that I place the supporting wallscrew 11 some i distance below the normal plane of the main body of the flexible binding device 18 when earner the radial bars 17 are in an extended position. This results in the looseness of the binding device 18 being completely taken up by engaging the underside of the screw 11 as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 with the result that this flexible member is drawn taut when the flexible metallic binding device is of proper length so that the inner end of all the clothes bars are held in rigidengage ment against the hub flanged portion 16 of the spider or bracket 16, with the result that the radial bars are all held relatively firm in the spider like the spokes of awheel and the tautness of-the metallic binding device is increased upon the hanging of clothes or other articles upon the bars or any increase of the weight supported thereby for the reason that the central cylindrical or hub member 16 is of a variable diameter increasing upwardly toward the plate 16 so that the application of weight upon the bars outside of the bracket tends to force the inner ends of the bars upwardly and hence outwardly increasing the tautness of the flexible binding device by reason of this tendency to force the ends of the bars longitudinally as well as to render the flexible binding more taut as the ends of the bars move upwardly since the position of the screw 11 beneath which the metallic binder is looped is fixed in relation to the supporting means and the cylindrical member 10 and the bracket 16.

The construction is such that itwill be seen that when it is desired to fold the clothes bars their outer endsmay be lifted upwardly and the flexible metallic binder connecting their inner extremities will allow the inner ends of the bars to traverse downwardly along the cylindrical supporting bar 10 to the position indicated in Fig. dwhere the bars are folded in a convenient manner out of the way so that the device will occupy a comparatively small amount of space upon the wall. 7

it will be apparent that my improved bar supporting means and bar tightening means may be embodied in various modifications without departing from the purpose and spirit of the invention, and it is not/desired to be limited to thedetailsherein set forth.

I claim: 1 I j The combination in a wall rack for clothes and the like, of a substantially vertical member, means for securing said member to the wall with a portion thereof spaced apart from the wall, a bracket secured to the member, provided with radially arranged openings, a plurality of clothes rods in said openings, a flexiblemetallic member loosely surrounding the said vertical member, and loosely connected with the inner extremities of each of said clothes rods, and means for rendering said connecting means taut when said clothes rods are in radially extended function of holding the flexible metallic position in the bracket and supporting a member taut as Well as securing the vertical load, comprising a metallic fastening device member to its support. 10 passing through the body of the vertical In testimony whereof I have signed my 5 member below the plane of the said rods name to this specification on this 23d day of When in extended position, whereby the said March, A. D. 1918. fastening device may perform the additional CHARLES W. HAGERMAN. 

